Normal girls and boys
In the first pages of the graphic novel the common boys and girls of the time are described. The girls are presented as being weak, princess-like and unwilling to touch anything they see as being disgusting. The boys are presented as being macho, or at least trying to be in front of women. This presents a rather typical image of men and women and this image remains throughout the book.
Little brother
In the seventh installment, Chris decides to run away with Rob after her mother figures out something is wrong with her. During the span of a few days, Chris organized everything she needed to leave, packing her clothes and getting ready. When it was time to go, she saw her little brother in the back yard, laughing and playing with his friends. The image of her brother affected Chris because it made her realize that she was leaving behind the only life she knew. The image of the brother is also important because it represents the normality Chris will never be able to experience again.
The tainted woods
As the novel progresses, the wood where the ones affected by the bug chose to hide changes as well. Strange dolls, paintings and macabre elements are tied to trees or thrown on the ground. Those who enter the wood are able to spot them almost immediately but those things also appear near the camps of those affected by the bug. Little by little, the image of the woods changes and it no longer seen as a place where the bug infected teenagers can hide. Instead, it becomes a visual representation of the life lead by the ones infected by the bug, showing just how the world was becoming unwilling to accept them.
Dirty handprints on the bread
In the ninth issue, after Keith takes Chris to the house, she thinks about the things Keith brought to her while she was in the woods. One image that stuck with her was that of some sandwiches he brought her and the realization that she left dirty marks on the white bread, showing just how dirty she was. This has the purpose of showing just how much Chris’s life changed and how hard it was for her to maintain normal habits, like washing. Thus, her life was affected drastically by her contacting the bug.
